Pages

Sunday, 8 May 2016

Scaling back

This time last year the tourist season was well under way and Kaya was doing well in his job. He gets a small basic wage but his earnings rely on selling excursions to customers when he does his welcome meetings at the many hotels he is responsible for.

So far this year, he is still working long hours. There are fewer reps employed by the company which means those who are working have more hotels to cover. But there are not as many customers so it's proving difficult to earn money. I think most of us suspected that this would be a bad season but we tried to live in hope. Businesses will close because rents won't be covered. There will undoubtedly be many out of work this year. We are lucky that Kaya still has a job.

I am pretty good at economising when I need to. I've had times in my life when I could afford to buy whatever I wanted, but times when money was in very short supply. I can adapt easily and the habit I have had for years of checking prices in supermarkets for the best deals, has never left me.

Kaya has sold the car. He has replaced it with a motorbike which is almost brand new. This means that the debt on the car has now been cleared. He has a company car with his job but if he wants to use it to come home the company make him pay highly for the privilege. The idea was to leave our car at home for me to use throughout the summer but because of the changes in law on driving licences, I am not able to drive here now, unless I take a Turkish driving test at great expense. Now he can come home sometimes on the motorbike and the cost of petrol will be a fraction of what it costs to use the car.

It will be difficult if we need to take dogs to the vet, and collect sacks of food, but we will have to borrow a car if necessary. I think some of you may remember just how much Kaya can manage to carry on a motorbike...so we'll manage!

I am used to using the dolmuş to go into Milas or further afield, and my good friend David usually takes me shopping in Milas once a week, which helps enormously.

We may also have to cut back on what we provide to the dogs in the area. Even though we have donations coming in, it's never enough. My fund is still in the red. When I see dogfood on offer I buy it anyway because I can't afford to miss good deals, and then hope money will eventually come in to cover it. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't. Feeding and providing vet care for my 12 rescues costs a great deal, so I rely on donations to pay for all the other dogs (and cats) out there that we are trying to help. We will continue to feed those we are committed to, but we know our limitations and it will be difficult to take on responsibility for any more.

I hate asking for money. To be honest, writing about it in a blog post seems easier than just coming straight out with it on my Facebook page. I am however extremely grateful for those who have continued to donate. Without your generosity, we'd never have managed to help so many animals in need.

If you would like to help, you will find the PayPayl button at the top right hand side of this page. Thankyou xxx

If you would like to help with feeding, care and veterinary treatment for my 12 rescued dogs and the many other street dogs in our village and the surrounding area, please email me at lindaikaya@hotmail.com for details. Thankyou

Follow by Email

About Me

A warm welcome to my Blog

My life in Turkey.

The ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, the happy and the sad....not forgetting the often disastrous adventures of Mr Ayak.My time is taken up these days with animal rescue. I had 11 rescue dogs at home until Dave, one of three rescued pups passed away on 11 January 2015, so then there were 10. On 30th November 2015 we brought home another dog found dumped on the streets, so back up to 11 dogs. Another rescue on 17th March 2016 now brings the total to 12.

We also feed as many strays as possible, in our village and beyond. If you would like to help with all this, please email me at lindaikaya@hotmail.com for details.I welcome your comments. Since I started this blog I've received good advice and reassurance from the blogging community, and some very kind messages.If you're just a reader but not a blogger, think about starting your own blog. It's great fun and very therapeutic. I'd strongly recommend it!